Improvement in processes and apparatus for cooling liquids



Lvo. w'ooLFoLK.

Process and Apparatus for Cooling Liquids.

Patented Feb. 16, i875.

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LUCIEN B. WOOLFOLK, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING LIQUIDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,997, dated February16, 1875; application iled November 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LUoreN B. WooLFoLK,

of Lexington, in the county of Fayette and.

State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Process for Goolin gBeer, Soda-Water, and other Liquids, of which the following is aspecification My invention consists in cooling liquids contained inpipes or vessels wholly or partially immersed in Water, by means of iceand salt contained in a vessel, in separate compartments or receptacles,and Which impart their chill to the Water surrounding the pipes orvessels containing the liquid to be cooled through the medium of Watercontained in a casing-vessel attached to the refrigeratingvessel.

Figures l and 2 represent my invention as applied to a beer-cooler, ofwhich Fig. l is a plan with covers removed, and Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of same, taken through the center. Figs. 3 and 4 represent amodification of my invention, which is here applied to a soda-fountain;Fig. 3 is a plan with covers removed, and Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionof same, taken through the center. Fig. 5 is a vertical section takenthrough the center, representin g a modification ofthe invention. Fig. 6is a vertical section, representing another modiication of theinvention, taken through the center. Fig. 7 is a plan of therefrigerating-vessel and casing-vessel, as shown in Fig. 6.

A is a box of any ordinary construction, made of plank or other suitablematerial, in any desired form. B is a cooling-box, into which the liquidto be cooled tlows through the supply-pipe C. D is the cooling-pipe,through which the liquid to be cooled passes to the faucet D. It mayeither encircle the refrigerating-vessel, or may be placed in any formdesired. E is the refrigerating-vessel, made, preferably, of sheetmetal, and containing the salt-receptacle a and the ice-compartment b.The refrigeratlng-vessel E may be either round, as in Figs.'1, 2, and 5,or square, as in Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 7, or of any other suitable shape.It may extend With the casingvessel down to the bottom of the box A, asin Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 or it may extend only part of the Way down, asin Figs. 5 and 6. The salt-receptacle a is constructed, preferably, ofsheet metal, though it may be made of any material that will contain thesalt, While allowing it to come in contact With the brine. A knittedsack or a cloth bag, as is represented in Figs. 6 and 7, Will make areceptacle for salt quite as good as one constructed of sheet metal.When constructed of sheet metal the salt-receptacle is perforated, so asto admit ofthe free communication of the salt with the brine in theice-compartment b.

lhe salt-receptacle may be of any form, the shape being Whollyimmaterial. It may be placed in the center of the refrigerator, with theice-compartment around it; or it may be on one side of the refrigerator;or several receptacles may be placed around the sides of therefrigerator. Again, the salt-receptacle may extend to the bottom of therefrigerator, or only part of the Way to the bottom.

These various modifications of material, form, and position are Whollyimmaterial, as they do not affect the operation of the salt upon thebrine and the ice; the object of the construction being to have the saltin a separate receptacle, for the purpose of keeping the salt in contactwith the top of the brine, and thus fully saturating the brine Withsalt, so that it may melt the ice at a low temperature and keep thebrine at a uniform temperature far below the freezing-point of Water.

The ice-compartment b occupies all the area of the refrigerator that isunoccupied by the salt-receptacle.

F is the casing-vessel, attached to the refrigerating-vessel E, for thepurpose of containing Water. It is constructed of sheet metal, so thatthe cold of the Water which it contains will be readily imparted to theWater in the box A.

The casing-vessel F may be open at the bottom, as in Fig. 6, so as toallow the Water in the box A to rise withinit. As chilled Water riseswhen near the freezing-point, instead of sinking, this cylindrical formof F Will intercept the Water-currents, and be equally effective inarresting the impartation of the excessive cold of the ice and salt aswhen it is con structed as a tight box.

It is not at all essential that the .refrigerating-vessel E be placed inthe center of the box A. It may be placed on one side, though not soefficient as when in the middle of the box. Noris it essential that thecasing-vessel surround the refrigerating-vessel. It may be constructedon one side only of the refrigerating-vessel E, as is represented inFigs. 6 and 7, while the other sides of E are constructed ofnon-conducting material; but it is more efficient by encircling thevessel E, and thus exposing the greatest amount of surface to the waterin the box A.

Gis the waste-pipe, through which the brine passes off from therefrigerator E. It takes the brine, preferably, from thebottom of therefrigerator, because itis warmest there; and the pipe Gr is made torise to the level at which the brine is desired to stand in therefrigerator E, while it is furnished with two oizlet pipes, c and d,supplied with faucets, by opening which the brine in e will sink to thatlevel.

It is not essential to insert the waste-pipe G in the bottom of therefrigerator. It may be inserted at the level at which it is desired todraw oft' the water from the refrigerator, and two other pipes may beinserted into the refrigeratingvessel at the level of the off-let pipesc and d; but as the brine is coldest at the top, where it is in contactwith the ice, it is injudicious to draw off the coldest brine, leavingthe warmest in the refrigerator. The construction I adopt of drawing itoff from the bottom is much the' best, as it withdraws the brine thathas imparted its chill, and allows its place to be taken by the colderbrine above.

Figs. 3 and 4 represent certain parts pecuf liar to soda-fountains. H Hare the sirupboxes. I I are the Sirup-pipes leading to the Sirup-faucetsJ J.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the pipe D is divided, in order to supply both thesoda-faucets D.

The process of operating this apparatus is as follows: The box A isfilled with water to a level higher than the pipe containing the liquidto be cooled. In the soda-fountain the water stands above the top of thesoda-pipe, 1nd almost to the top of the Sirup-cans. Next, :he icefcompartment and the salt-receptacle ire filled with their respectiverefrigerating naterials, and strong brine is poured into the ce-box buntil it stands at the level ofthe op of the waste-pipe G. Then thecasing Yessel F is filled to the top with water. The `efrigeratingmaterials soon reduce the brine n the ice-compartinent to thetemperature of v-bout l0o above zero, at which it stands as ang as thesupply of ice and salt is kept up. This excessive cold of the brine isimparted o the water in the casing-vessel F, freezing' body of ice abouthalf an inch thick upon 1e outside of the refrigerating-vessel E, but

if the water in the casing-vessel F is kept at a higher level than thebrine in the refrigerator E, the water in F will not freeze into solidice, though its temperature will` be reduced slightly' below thefreezing-point. This water in the casing-vessel F will impart its chillto the water in the box A, which, in turn, will chill the liquids in thepipe D and the cooling-box B; but the water in the box A will not bythis process be made so cold as to freeze the liquid in the pipe D, butwill be kept at a temperature near the freezing-point. When the water inthe box A is thoroughly chilled, it will be unnecessary to keep thebrine in the refrigerator E at so high a level as the top of thewaste-pipe G. By opening either ofthe faucets c or cl the brine willsink to that level, and the refrigerating materials will be consumedwith sufficient rapidity only to maintain the required temperature inthe water in the casing-vessel F.

It will be seen that the salt-receptacle a and the casing-vessel F areessential parts of the apparatus used in my process. Without thesalt'receptacle a the salt mixed with the ice would soon sink to thebottom, where it would remain in a mass, while the melting of the icewould soon freshen the top of the brine in contact with the ice. Thusfreshened the brine would not melt the ice at a low temperature, and therefrigerating materials would soon grow so warm as to cease to chill thewater in A. On the other hand, without the casing-vessel F the excessivecold of the ice and salt would so chill the water in the box A that itwould freeze the liquids in the pipe D.

By the use of the salt-receptacle athe brine in the refrigerating-vesselE is constantly kept at a very low temperature; and by the use of thecasing-vessel F the excessive cold of the brine in therefrigerating-vessel is intercepted, and only a degree of cold near thefreezing-point is imparted to the water in the box A.

My process diers from that in common use, in that, instead of employing'ice in direct contact with the pipes containing the liquid to be cooled,I surround the pipes with water, and chill this water to a temperaturenear the freezing-point by means ofthe cold of ice and salt transmittedthrough the medium of water contained in a casing-vessel, thus securingboth efficiency and a properly-regulated temperature.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The process of cooling liquids by the use of ice and salt placed inseparate receptacles in a refrigeratingvessel, and imparting their`cooling el'ect through the medium of water in contact with pipesor-vessels containing the liquid to be cooled.

2. The combination, with the pipe D, of the www' s refrigerator E, thesalt-receptacle a, the ieecompartment b, the Waste-pipe G, and thecesingw/essel F, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the refrigerating- Vessel E, the salt-receptaclea, for the purpose of causing the salt to remain in Contact Withthe topofthe brine, and keep it so far saturated as to melt ice at a very lowtemperature, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the refrigeratingvessel .E and the cooling-pipeD, the easingvessel F, for the purpose mentioned.

LUCIEN B. WOOLFOLK.

Witnesses HARRY L. WILLIAMS, GEO. M. WEBB.

